Mobility scooter
Whilst leg issues are commonly assumed to be the reason for using scooters, the vehicles are used by those with a wide range of conditions from spinal injuries to neurological disorders.
Mobility scooters differ from power wheelchairs in that they are usually cheaper, somewhat easier to move across uneven ground, and are more customizable.
They are also used by people who do need a powerchair for intermediate distances or extended standing, or those not permitted to drive cars for medical reasons.
User-powered scooters are propelled by a lever used in a push-pull rowing motion to provide exercise and mobility at the same time.
Also, swiveling the seat of an electric scooter is generally easier than moving the foot supports on most conventional wheelchairs.
A mobility scooter is very helpful for persons with systemic or whole-body disabling conditions (coronary or lung issues, multiple sclerosis, ehlers danlos syndrome, some forms of arthritis, obesity, etc.)
who are still able to stand and walk a few steps, sit upright without torso support, and control the steering tiller.
The intermediate-distance advantages of mobility scooters versus powerchairs is due to their bigger wheels, large motors and suspension systems: this gives them the ability to better handle uneven pavements and steeper hills.
Mobility scooters can therefore be used as alternatives to the car within towns but outside cities; in ways that (aside from chairs with chunky powerwheel attachments) power wheelchairs cannot.
While new public buildings are usually designed with accessibility features, at least in North America, the longer length and wider turning radius may make it difficult to use them.
In particular, a purchaser should compare length, width, turning radius and ground clearance to ensure the scooter will fit with most commonly encountered obstacles in the user's environment.
Currently in the United States, Medicare will not approve a power wheelchair for persons who do not need to use the chair "inside their own home", even if their medical needs restrict the use of a mobility scooter.
For example, to be eligible for partial funding by the Ontario Assistive Devices Program, the user must need the scooter for use in their own home.
Similar restrictions on NHS powerchair provision exist in the UK; manual wheelchairs are only prescribed for users who cannot walk any distance at all.
Patients must go through an extended disability assessment process of around 8 months to find out if they are judged to be deserving of a powerchair or scooter through Personal Independence Payment.
However, while users of EU countries can register a vehicle that can travel 26 km/h (16 mph) in their own country, users of UK mobility scooters will not be able to do so, if the vehicle in any way can reach more than 8 mph (13 km/h) speed, as stated by DVLA requirements regarding mobility scooters.
As of March 2010[update] a government consultation is underway to determine how the law should adapt to increasing scooter use, whether higher road speeds should be allowed, and on a replacement for the archaic term "invalid carriage".
Because electric mobility scooters fall under the medical aid category, when purchasing such a vehicle, people with disability or long-term illness might be eligible for VAT Relief.
Class 3 invalid carriages may not be driven by a person under 14 years; they need to be registered with the DVLA and are subject to vehicle excise duty ("car tax"), though the rate is zero.
[6] An Australian Senate inquiry into mobility scooters was announced in 2017, after politician John Williams' wife Nancy was injured by one.
